By Keary Molinaro | Molinaro Snake Lab Field Notes | August 03, 2025
For the past few years, I’ve been staring at a dry, cracked lakebed in Fort Hancock, Texas. Once a prime stopover for local and migrating ducks, it had become little more than a dusty reminder of better seasons. No water. No ducks. Just silence, sand, and disappointment. Every year I hoped for rain, and every year the lake refused to come back to life. 
But this summer, everything changed.
After a stretch of heavy rainfall, the kids and I headed out there again, more out of habit than hope. It was a warm morning in late July, and we weren’t expecting much. But what we found looked like something straight out of a nature documentary: the lake was full again. And although the ducks hadn’t yet returned, the water was teeming with movement, crawling with tiny, alien-looking creatures.
Tadpole shrimp (Triops longicaudatus).
Some folks call them “dinosaur shrimp,” and with good reason. These strange little crustaceans belong to a lineage that's been around for over 350 million years, long before the first dinosaurs ever walked the Earth. However, a 2013 genetic study published in PeerJ revealed that modern Triops species actually evolved within the past 25 million years. Still rather ancient. But the ones we saw weren’t ancient fossils come to life. They were freshly hatched from eggs that had been lying dormant in the desert soil for about two years, just waiting for enough rain to return.
Life on Pause: Nature’s Ultimate Survivors
Tadpole shrimp have a survival strategy that borders on science fiction. During dry spells—not just weeks, but years—they exist as dormant eggs, called cysts, embedded in the hardened mud of dry lakebeds. While this usually happens in ephemeral playas and seasonal pools, in this case it was a more permanent lake—one that’s typically wet year-round but had dried up for several seasons due to prolonged drought.
These cysts can survive extreme temperatures, intense UV radiation, and total dryness. Scientists have found viable Triops eggs that were decades old, simply waiting for the right moment to hatch.
All it takes is one good rainstorm.
When water finally returns, it triggers a mass hatching event. Within 24 to 48 hours, tadpole shrimp emerge and get right to work—swimming, feeding, and growing. Their lives are a race against time. They have to hatch, mature, reproduce, and lay the next generation of eggs before the desert heat dries up their temporary home again.
Not all of their eggs hatch at once, either. Some stay dormant (a strategy called bet-hedging) to increase the odds that at least part of the population will survive if the next rainfall doesn’t arrive for several years. Nature seems to just know what to do. It’s incredible!
Up Close
Triops longicaudatus, commonly found in the southwestern U.S., thrives in temporary water bodies across arid regions from Texas to California, with some populations also occurring in northern Mexico and other parts of the U.S. Their distribution is patchy and unpredictable, closely tied to ephemeral pools that may only appear after rare or seasonal rains.
Tadpole shrimp are mesmerizing to watch. They look like miniature prehistoric creatures, somewhat reminiscent of tiny horseshoe crabs. They’re usually about 1 to 2 inches long, with a domed, shield-like shell, a pair of long tails, and dozens of legs busily moving beneath their bodies. They’re omnivores, feeding on algae, tiny invertebrates, and even each other when food gets scarce.
What makes them even more fascinating is how they see the world. Triops have three eyes. Two are large compound eyes on the sides of their head, which help them detect motion and navigate their environment. But between them sits a tiny third eye—a simple structure called a “naupliar eye.” It’s not for seeing in the traditional sense, but it helps detect changes in light intensity, helping them stay oriented in murky, shallow water.
They're also surprisingly helpful. Tadpole shrimp are known to eat mosquito larvae, including those that can carry West Nile virus.
Conservation in the Chihuahuan Desert
Seeing tadpole shrimp swimming again in Fort Hancock’s lake after years of drought wasn’t just a cool wildlife moment. It was a reminder of how resilient desert ecosystems really are. These tiny creatures prove that even in the harshest places, life can pause, adapt, and spring back into motion when the time is right.
In Hudspeth County, Texas, Triops are common and not considered endangered. The species is widespread throughout the southwestern United States and is well adapted to temporary desert pools. Due to their ability to produce drought-resistant eggs that can remain viable for decades, tadpole shrimp maintain stable populations despite habitat fluctuations. However, localized threats like land development or water pollution could impact specific breeding sites.
But not all desert life gets that chance. Many of these habitats are under threat from groundwater depletion, development, and climate change. Temporary lakes and desert playas are often overlooked in conservation efforts, even though they support an incredible variety of life. Along with tadpole shrimp, they’re home to amphibians, migrating birds, and countless invertebrates.
Final Thoughts
As we stood beside that vibrant lakebed, watching our kids scoop up shrimp with wide-eyed excitement, I was reminded how incredible the desert really is. It might look barren at first glance, but just beneath the surface, it's full of life—quiet, hidden, and waiting for the right moment to emerge.
There’s a lesson in that, if we’re paying attention.
These ancient creatures don’t fight the harshness of their environment. They adapt to it. They endure long droughts sealed away in the soil, and when the rain finally comes, they waste no time. They rise, grow, and thrive. It’s not just about survival. It’s about knowing when to rest, when to wait, and when to move forward.
We all face difficult seasons in life. Sometimes everything feels still, dry, or even hopeless. But like the tadpole shrimp, we carry within us the ability to withstand those times. We can protect what matters, hold on through the waiting, and be ready to step into growth when the opportunity returns.
So the next time you pass a dry, cracked stretch of land in the Chihuahuan Desert, don’t overlook it. With a little rain and a bit of patience, it might come back to life in ways you didn’t expect.
And if you’re lucky, a few ancient shrimp—descendants of a time older than the dinosaurs—might just be there to greet you.
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Sources and Further Reading
- Animal Diversity Web. “Triops longicaudatus Species Account.” University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Triops_longicaudatus/ - National Park Service. “Triops longicaudatus.” NPS.gov
- LiveScience. “Triops: Facts about the three-eyed 'dinosaur shrimp.’” LiveScience.com
https://www.livescience.com/triops-dinosaur-shrimp - Triops World. “What are Triops?” TriopsWorld.com
- Mathers, T. C., et al. "Multiple Global Radiations in Tadpole Shrimps Challenge the Concept of ‘Living Fossils’." PeerJ, vol. 1, 2013, p. e62. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.62